University of Arizona School of Music Director of Bands Dr. Chad Nicholson, DM, is the featured conductor in the most recent edition of the Japan Band Journal, one of the country’s most widely read publications for music educators.
The article, titled “Cherish Each Individual’s Voice,” explores Nicholson’s approach to developing independent, creative musicians within the context of large ensembles.
The opportunity grew out of Nicholson’s work in Japan at Musashino Academia Musicae, the conservatory where he was teaching. A writer and photographer for the Japan Band Journal reached out after seeing on the University of Arizona website that Nicholson integrates Chamber Winds experiences into larger ensemble rehearsals and performances.
That approach sparked particular interest because individual chamber music experiences are not commonly incorporated into Wind Ensemble or Symphonic Band settings in Japan. The publication wanted to learn more about how Nicholson brings these experiences into the larger ensemble and why creating opportunities for individual musicians to grow independently is so important to his teaching philosophy.
For Nicholson, chamber music helps students develop a stronger sense of responsibility for their individual role while also learning how their part connects with those around them. Those skills—listening closely, communicating through nonverbal cues and understanding the relationship between individual voices and the larger ensemble—can then carry directly into their work in a Wind Ensemble setting.
“Cherish each individual voice,” Nicholson shared as his message to the thousands of band directors who read the journal.
The conversation also explored the history and evolution of the Wind Ensemble, a concept that originated in the United States, as well as the ways the genre has developed over more than a century.
For Nicholson, however, one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience was the opportunity to connect with music educators across cultures and share a belief in the power of music-making.
“Even if people who have never previously met, do not speak the same language, and do not share cultural, socioeconomic, religious, and regional experiences, can come together and share the joys of music-making,” Nicholson said. “As long as they have instruments in their hands, they can immediately share a common purpose.”
Through his feature in the Japan Band Journal, Nicholson’s message reaches an audience of approximately 66,000 Japanese band directors, offering a reminder that while every musician brings an individual voice to an ensemble, those voices can come together to create something greater than themselves.
By: Marisabel Lares
